Doctors’ shortage crisis worsens: Lincolnshire neurology service closed to new patients

There have been 346 new COVID-19 cases in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, pushing October’s total to more than 5,000.

The latest UK coronavirus dashboard figures as of Monday evening showed 212 new cases in Lincolnshire, 52 in North Lincolnshire and 82 in North East Lincolnshire.

It means there have been 5,245 cases confirmed in October.

Government figures today confirmed four deaths, including three Lincolnshire residents and one North Lincolnshire resident

NHS figures reported one COVID-related death at a Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Trust hospital.

Nationally, cases increased by 20,890 to 894,690, while deaths jumped by 102 to 44,998.

A chart showing Lincolnshire’s case numbers up to October 26.

Lincolnshire is currently still on the medium (tier 1) level for the the new three-tier lockdown system of COVID-19 risk, which means it has no extra restrictions on top of the nation-wide ones.

However, neighbouring South Yorkshire moved into tier 3 at the weekend.

Lincolnshire’s neighbours in Nottingham, Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe, face tier 3 lockdown from midnight on Thursday — but Newark on the county’s border managed to escape, staying in tier 2 for now.

Warrington, in the North East, was confirmed to have been moved up to Tier 3 on Monday afternoon.

Earlier on Monday, the number of COVID cases in Greater Lincolnshire passed the 9,000 mark as cases increased by 613 this weekend.

Nationally, government bosses have been battling it out over free school meals, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson refusing to budge on a vote last week that rejected extending the meals into the half-term and Christmas holidays.

Parents are struggling even more so than usual under the coronavirus pandemic.

Lincolnshire County Council’s opposition members have asked the authority to step in, however, council leader Martin Hill said plenty had been done already by distributing funds to other organisations.

Businesses and other organisations have picked up the ball, however, with their own events.

City of Lincoln Council has also announced it is providing £10,000 worth of support to families living in the city who are eligible for free school meals this October half-term.

Students living together in a flat in Lincoln have been letting people know they’re self-isolating with quirky post-it note signs in their windows.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire for Monday, October 26

9,837 cases (up 346)

• 6,337 in Lincolnshire (up 212)
• 1,947 in North Lincolnshire (up 52)
• 1,553 in North East Lincolnshire (up 82)

451 deaths (up four)

• 302 from Lincolnshire (up three)
• 95 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
• 44 from North East Lincolnshire (up one)

of which 295 hospital deaths (up one)

• 156 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
• 6 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
• 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
• 132 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)

894,690 UK cases, 44,998 deaths

DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.

Nearly 90 schools and 10 nurseries in Lincolnshire have positive cases of coronavirus on Monday.

Lincolnshire County Council said on October 26, the start of October half term, that it is working with 89 schools with COVID-19 infections, with Alford Primary School the most recent to be added to the list.

It is also working with ten nurseries, with Mon Ami Day Nursery in Alford the most recent addition.

There are 31 schools, pre-schools/early years and other education settings in North East Lincolnshire with active cases. There have been at least seven schools with cases in North Lincolnshire.

Hawthorn Tree School (Boston), Woodlands Academy (Spilsby), Springwell Alternative Academy (Grantham), St George’s Academy (Ruskington) and Little Learners Pre-School (Lincoln) are the schools currently closed, according to the county council’s list.

When there is a positive result at a school it is considered an active case for 14 days. This period will start afresh if there is another positive case at the school. This is why some schools remain on the active case list longer than others.

Tony McGinty, consultant in public health, said: “As of this Monday, Lincolnshire’s Health Protection Team is currently working with 89 schools that have had confirmed cases of coronavirus.

“All schools continue to report the situation to us and are taking action to limit the potential spread of the virus when schools return – this will mean some pupils and staff self-isolating as a precaution where necessary during half term. Because of the length of isolation periods involved this may affect return to school for some people.

“Like the rest of the country, Lincolnshire has seen case numbers rise in recent weeks, and an increasing number of schools affected.

“However, the majority of schools will fully open next week, and those affected are working really well to limit both the risk of the virus spreading and the impact on the pupils’ education.”

Schools with current confirmed cases (new in bold at the top):

• Alford Primary School
• Lincoln College
• Queen Elizabeth High School, Gainsborough
• Hackthorn Primary School
• Kesteven and Sleaford High School
• Lincoln Castle Academy
• Lincoln Carlton Academy
• Bluecoat Meres Academy, Grantham
• Kesteven and Grantham Girls School
• Barrowby Primary School
• Billingborough Primary School
• The Priory Academy LSST
• Priory Ruskin Academy, Grantham
• Boston College
• Hawthorn Tree School, Boston (closed)
• Caistor Yarborough Academy
• Haven High Academy, Boston
• Malcolm Sargent Primary School, Stamford
• St George’s Academy, Sleaford
• St Peter and St Paul Academy, Lincoln
• Kirkstone House School, Baston
• Stamford Endowed Schools
• Manor Leas Junior School, Lincoln
• St Hugh’s Catholic Primary, Lincoln
• Ermine Academy, Lincoln
• St Giles Academy, Lincoln
• Branston Community College Academy
• Grantham College
• Kelsey Primary School
• Birchwood Junior School, Lincoln
• Great Steeping Primary School, Spilsby
• Walton Academy, Grantham
• Woodlands Academy, Spilsby (closed)
• Skegness Academy
• Blyton Cum Laughton Primary School
• Castle Wood Academy, Gainsborough
• The King’s School, Grantham
• Westgate Academy, Lincoln
• William Farr School, Welton, Lincoln
• Sir William Robertson Academy, Welbourn, Lincoln
• Kisimul School Acacia Hall, Freisthorpe
• Leslie Manser Primary, Lincoln
• Lincoln St Christopher’s Special School
• Long Sutton Primary School
• Market Deeping Community Primary
• Springwell Alternative Academy, Grantham (closed)
• St Nicholas Primary, Boston
• Community Learning in Partnership, Gainsborough
• Grantham Preparatory International School
• Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Horncastle
• St Michael’s Primary School, Thorpe on the Hill
• University Academy Long Sutton
• Denton Primary School, Grantham
• Bridge House Independent School, Boston
• Charles Read Academy, Grantham
• De Aston School, Market Rasen
• The Lancaster School, Lincoln
• The St Sebastian Primary School, Grantham
• Waddington All Saints Academy
• Bourne Academy
• Claypole Primary School
• St George’s Academy, Ruskington (closed)
• Swinderby All Saints Primary School
• University Academy Holbeach
• Carre’s Grammar School, Sleaford
• Louth Academy
• Boston Grammar School
• Hartsholme Academy, Lincoln
• Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School
• Harlaxton Primary School, Grantham
• Holbeach Primary Academy
• Priory Pembroke Academy, Cherry Willingham
• Little Learners Pre-School, Lincoln (closed)
• The Deepings School
• Spalding High School
• Manor Farm Academy, North Hykeham
• Scampton Primary School
• Sutterton Fourfields Primary School, Boston
• St Botolph’s Primary School, Sleaford
• Fleet Wood Lane Primary School, Spalding
• King Edward VI Academy, Spilsby
• Kirkby on Bain Primary School
• Spalding Parish School
• The National Junior School, Grantham
• William Alvey School, Sleaford
• Barnes Wallis Academy, Tattershall
• Bourne Grammar School
• Spalding Academy
• Tedder County Primary School, Ashby de la Launde, Lincoln

Public Health are also aware of the following 10 nurseries with positive cases (new in bold at the top):

• Mon Ami Day Nursery, Alford
• Town and Country Kiddies Nursery, Louth
• Seashells Nursery, Mablethorpe
• Angels Childcare, Lincoln
• Little Learners Nursery, Skegness
• Nutwood Day Nursery, Lincoln
• Clarence House Day Nursery, Grantham
• Little Acorns Day Nursery, Boston
• Elsaforde Nursery, Sleaford
• Sunflowers Nursery, Saxilby

North East Lincolnshire

There are 31 schools, pre-schools/early years and other education settings with active cases in North East Lincolnshire.

The figure given on Friday, October 23 was less than half of this number at 14, but it has been confirmed to The Lincolnite that this was due to a miscommunication in providing the data which has since been clarified.

The list includes the following schools with active cases:

• Tollbar Academy
• Grimsby Institute
• Ormiston Maritime Academy
• Cleethorpes Academy
• Franklin College
• Healing Science Academy
• Humberston Academy
• William Barcroft Junior School
• Humberston CE Primary School
• Signhills Academy
• Havelock Academy
• Weelsby Academy

North Lincolnshire

There have been at least seven schools with cases in North Lincolnshire since term restarted.

However, North Lincolnshire Council said it was unable to provide any data regarding schools in the region with coronavirus cases.

A man living in Lincoln, who once sat in a bunker in Kuwait while missiles were being fired over, has launched a ‘Jolly Ginger’ greeting cards business that he hopes will become his full-time career when he leaves the Royal Air Force.

Stu Neilson, 40, is originally from Hereford and left there to join the RAF over 20 years ago as an Imagery Analyst, looking at images taken by aircraft and interpreting them. His time in the Air Force has included three years at RAF Digby and at his current base RAF Waddington, where he has so far been for 18 months.

His 10-year-old daughter Holly came up with the name for his new business — Jolly Ginger Cards — due to her father’s ginger hair and jolly nature.

Jolly Ginger Cards launched towards the end of May 2020 and has a range of around 350 cards.

Stu likes the cards to be funny, a little bit rude, and to make people smile.

Stu will run the business, which was launched in May and has a range of around 350 cards, alongside his wife Shelley, who is a civil servant. The couple have two daughters Holly and seven-year-old Sophie.

The A5 cards are priced at £3.49, which includes free delivery and a handwritten service for a personal touch – see the full range of cards here.

He told The Lincolnite he provides an “alternative to Moonpig” with cards that are “funny, a little bit rude, and designed to make people smile”, with his RAF experiences giving him a sense of determination to pursue his new business.

Stu and Shelley Neilson with their children Holly and Sophie.

Stu Neilson has served in the RAF for over 20 years.

More of Stu and Shelley’s witty cards.

Stu has spent time in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait in 2003 and, most recently in RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

During his time in Cyprus lockdown measures were imposed, including curfews and closure of open green spaces, gyms and shops.

This meant he had more free time, which he utilised productively to put his business idea for the test, creating a website and designed his first few cards before returning to the UK in April.

Stu is currently signed on to the RAF until 2036, but plans to leave at his 22 year point on January 31, 2023.

He said “Using humour as a coping mechanism is a huge part of the Armed Forces and was my inspiration for starting an online funny greetings card business.

“I think the sense of camaraderie is the backbone of the Armed Forces and whenever we find ourselves in difficult situations we have a laugh together and it helps get you through, and is something I’ll take away when I leave the RAF and use in my cards.

“When I looked at greetings cards around a year ago I didn’t find them very funny. A lot of my peers are in the military where there is a big sense of humour and I wanted to create my own.

“It is going great so far. The hardest thing is climbing up the Google ladder, but we are doing really well through social media referrals and word of mouth.

“This will be the ultimate dream to be able to work from home and have my own business and get the family life balance. During the COVID period I did some working from home and seeing that, and spending more nice family time, was a massive kick starter for the business.”